Pulse Joins the LinkedIn Family

Note: Re-posted from original Pulse blog.

When we started Pulse in 2010, as a class project at Stanford’s school, we never imagined what the future would hold. We were motivated by our own frustrations with mobile news reading: we wanted an effortless experience, with clean design and easy access to all of our favorite sources. As our time in the Launchpad class continued, and as we spent day after day talking to our local community, we realized that this was a shared desire—and we sought to meet their need.

It didn’t take long, however, before Pulse expanded beyond its academic beginnings. Suddenly our app was being used by thousands of people and had shot to the top of the App Store; we spent our days at cafes, answering feedback and building upon what had quickly become a much larger vision. We rode the wave of change as news itself transformed, moving from a few trusted sources to hundreds, from ‘news sites’ to blogs and social media, from broadcast to conversation. As the landscape shifted and our community grew, we imagined better and brighter opportunities for Pulse. Thanks to the support of our passionate readers, we realized we could help foster these conversations, build a more informed society, and truly contribute to the world.

These three years have been exhilarating and inspiring. We’ve learned about ourselves and our industry, grown our amazing team, and developed a community that we cherish. It’s with this past in mind that we’re proud to announce our next step: Pulse is joining the LinkedIn family.

LinkedIn is the perfect partner as we continue our journey. The company shares our passions and values, our belief in the power of knowledge and elevated discussion, particularly for professionals looking for insights to help make them better at what they do. We believe this important step is the key to an even better experience for our community, and we’re excited for what’s to come.

With LinkedIn by our side, our team will continue to make Pulse the best it can be. We’re still working together on the product you love, and will continue to provide an innovative and visual news reading experience. For now, the Pulse apps will remain the same, and our two teams are excited to work together to create cool and useful new offerings.

To celebrate this milestone, we’re happy to offer a brand new LinkedIn Influencer feed on Pulse, filled with posts by luminaries like Richard Branson, Jack Welch, and more. It’s the first of many opportunities ahead, and we can’t wait for you to see what’s next. Join us on this journey, and help us shape the future of news.

Akshay, Ankit, & the Pulse Team

Please read more from the LinkedIn team here.

Download Pulse for iOS and Android.

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Special thanks to Alan Patricof (& Greycroft), Patrick Chung (& NEA), Michael Dearing, Emily Melton and all other advisors who have helped Pulse grow into what it has become. We are forever grateful for your support on this journey.

Another huge thanks to all of our publisher, brand, and agency partners for your ongoing support. We look forward to continuing to innovate together.